What
is Dual Core
<< Page 1: Why
dual core?
Following from the
previous page we see that it's getting increasingly harder for the CPU
manufacturers to put more processing power into the CPU so they're
proceeding down a road of sticking two processor cores on one CPU
block. In effect you won't need a dual processor motherboard anymore
but as all standard motherboards will transition into boards capable
of using dual core
processors - all PCs will eventually become dual
core machines.
The path to
ubiquitous dual-core
The two main CPU
manufacturers, AMD and Intel, debuted dual-core products within days
of each other. In a manner that's become typical of hardware
manufacturers each has done its best to confuse the market with their
respective dual core offerings.
Intel's Extreme
Edition line (just a standard Intel P4 CPU with extra cache selling
for a lot more money) was the obvious first choice for Intel to
upgrade to dual-core but the dual-core EE was always a rare beast, and
was launched with the promise of a new "Pentium D" processor to
follow. The Pentium D comes with a new pin-out, doesn't fit on older
Intel boards, and needs a new motherboard chipset - the 945/955 or
nForce4 Intel Edition. That was a good excuse for Intel to move all
their processors over to chipsets/boards that were capable of
supporting dual-core CPUs. The typical marketing trick would be to
first target dual-core at the premium end of the market, then make the
mid range products dual core (while single core serviced the budget
"Celeron" market), and then gradually phase single core out
altogether.
One day the fact that
you used single core processors will cause amusement the way some of
us talking about 9600 bps modems does.
AMD by contrast
launched their Opteron X2 processors in the standard 939 pin format
i.e. ready to go in current motherboards (with just a BIOS update).
They now have even less of a journey to make the transition to
completely dual core technology. They seem in a fair hurry to achieve
it as their announcement for dual core laptop products (an
announcement that would normally take a few months) followed very soon
after.
AMD
Press Release
What is Dual Core?
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=122
Dual Core Benchmarks: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/15/dual-core_athlon_bendmarks/
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